Ponzi scheme

Six years after Bernard Madoff became a household name, people still fall for Ponzi schemes. That's probably because schemers have a tried and true method backed up by psychology.

Last year there was a big, $96 million Ponzi scheme on Long Island. It had all the trappings of a Hollywood con: offshore shell companies, luxury cars, and there was even a famous beachfront resort near the Hamptons.

But for the victim there was nothing glamorous about it.

"I thought it was some run-of-the-mill fund," Jan says in a sweet Texan twang that makes friends of almost any ears.